Known for their soaring vocals and gripping atmosphere, the pair personifies the agony that lies somewhere in between what was and what could have been.
Perched solo over a city sidewalk, looking tensely below at partnered passersby and gazing anxiously upward into infinity – it is from this perspective that Zubin and nev ver present their meditation on love, longing, and loss. While the duo’s shared universe may be wrenching, their four-track collaborative EP Second Story Window is a celebration of the depth of beauty that they continually achieve in their atmosphere. Zubin’s alluringly anguished interpretation of R&B poured forth on last year’s MISERY and Heavy Down Pour has managed to become remarkably crushing despite his signature falsetto. nev ver’s aptitude for gripping post-hardcore-inspired vocals complements this style seamlessly as both artists soar into the heights of a menacing unknown.
From its first whispers, Second Story Window registers as a collection of burial songs for an untimely death, both in sound and theme. Opener “Breathe,” produced by Foxwedding, crescendos and creeps, gradually building as the slight tremors in Zubin’s voice grow into the frustration of nev ver’s unforgiving force. “You put me in my grave / I try to run but I always fall down ” is answered in the same breath as “you took my breath away / six deep is where I lay,” further complimenting the artists’ parallelity. As matters fade into a subtle yet sinister riff, listeners are introduced to the more pop-inspired “Hold Of You.” Gentle piano strokes accompany a duet that pines for a ghost whose presence is both deafeningly present and absent.
Zubin and nev ver’s mutual plight quickly transitions into the EP’s teaser track, “When You’re You,” produced by Darcy Baylis. It captures a tale as old as time – an attraction that intensifies and wanes as quickly as a high, with drugs serving as the force that both tears and binds. This ill fate dissipates into the mournful pacing of finale track, “Forgive Me,” which carries a nostalgic juxtaposition of angelic vocals gliding along the surface and lustral roars bubbling up from below. Every step becomes a mile as the weight of what-ifs slowly lowers what remains into the ground. Yet, as the pair beg for forgiveness, a fragile hope is stowed in the ashes of the past; as the last note rings curiously upward, perspective suggests that something pure may grow once more.
Stream the full EP below.